Mahishasuramardini · The invincible mother
Durga
Durga, the invincible mother, rides her lion with a weapon in each of her ten hands to defeat the demons no god could. Chant her mantra, keep her nights, and see when to worship her next in your city.
- Her day
- Tuesday
- Next: Tue 27 Oct
- Next Durga day
- Chaitra Navratri
- In 163 days · Wed 7 Apr
Her days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
The spring Navratri: nine nights from the Hindu new year to Ram Navami.
- Every Tuesday
- Tue 27 OctHer day of the week
- Sharad Navratri
- Thu 30 Sept8:06 am to 10:12 am
- Durga Ashtami
- Thu 7 Oct6:04 am to 6:52 am, 8 Oct
- Vijaya Dashami
- Sat 9 Oct2:05 pm to 2:52 pm
Sing her aarti
जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी।
तुमको निशदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥
Jai Ambe Gauri, Maiya jai Shyama Gauri,
Tumko nishdin dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivri.
Glory to Mother Amba, fair Gauri; glory to Shyama, the dark one! Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva meditate on you day and night.
माँ अम्बा, गोरी गौरी की जय; साँवली श्यामा की जय! विष्णु, ब्रह्मा और शिव दिन-रात आपका ध्यान करते हैं।
The aarti of Durga sung in North India, above all through the nine nights of Navratri.
Sing the whole aartiA simple Tuesday puja
Tuesday is kept for Durga in many homes, and every day of Navratri is hers. At home, a short puja before her image is enough. Follow your family’s way where it differs.
- Clean the place of worship and set her image there, on a red cloth if you have one.
- Light a ghee lamp and incense, and offer red flowers.
- Offer kumkum, a red chunri and a sweet.
- Chant Om Dum Durgayai Namah 108 times, or read the Durga Chalisa.
- Sing Jai Ambe Gauri while waving the lamp.
- Share the prasad.
What you need
- Her image or picture
- Red flowers and a red cloth
- Kumkum and a red chunri
- A ghee lamp and incense
- A coconut or a sweet
- Fruit as prasad
Prayers for the puja
- Durga ChalisaRead
Who is Durga
Durga is the Goddess as the invincible warrior. When the buffalo demon Mahishasura could be beaten by no god, the gods poured out their power, and from it she arose, each god giving her a weapon. Riding her lion, she fought him for nine days and on the tenth she killed him.
She is Shakti, the power of the gods themselves, and the same Goddess as Parvati, Shiva’s wife. In her nine forms, the Navadurga, she is worshipped through the nine nights of Navratri, one form each night.
To her devotees she is above all a mother, fierce only to protect her children.
- Mahishasuramardini slayer of the buffalo demon
- Amba the mother
- Bhavani giver of life
- Chandi the fierce one of the Devi Mahatmya
- Sherawali she who rides the lion
- Jagadamba mother of the world
ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः
Om Dum Durgayai Namah
I bow to Durga: “Dum” is her seed sound.
दुर्गा को मेरा नमन: “दुं” उनका बीज मंत्र है।
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते॥
Sarva mangala mangalye, shive sarvartha sadhike,
Sharanye tryambake Gauri, Narayani namostute.
Most auspicious of all that is auspicious, gracious one who fulfils every aim, refuge, three-eyed Gauri, Narayani: I bow to you.
सब मंगलों में सबसे मंगलमयी, हर उद्देश्य पूरा करने वाली कल्याणी, शरण देने वाली, तीन नेत्रों वाली गौरी, नारायणी: आपको नमन।
The Goddess in all beings
Devi Mahatmya 5.32
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥
Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu shakti rupena samsthita,
Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah.
To the Goddess who dwells in all beings as power: I bow to her, I bow to her, I bow to her, again and again.
जो देवी सब प्राणियों में शक्ति के रूप में रहती हैं: उन्हें नमन, उन्हें नमन, उन्हें नमन, बार-बार नमन।
One form is worshipped on each night of Navratri, in this order. Some regions honour the nine in another order or with other names.
What her symbols mean
The lion
Courage and strength held in check: she rides power and is never ridden by it.
Ten arms
She protects from every direction; each hand holds a weapon a god gave her, Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s discus, Indra’s thunderbolt.
The trident
Its three points are read as the three qualities, or as body, mind and spirit, which she rules.
The lotus
Even in battle she holds a lotus: the pure mind rising clean from the mud.
Her stories
Across India
Bengal
Durga Puja: great pandals with images of Durga and her children, five days of worship, dhunuchi dances and sindoor khela, and her immersion on Vijaya Dashami.
Gujarat
Nine nights of garba and dandiya, dancing in circles round a lamp for the Goddess.
Karnataka
Mysuru Dasara: the city lit for ten days and Chamundeshwari carried on an elephant through the streets.
Tamil Nadu
Golu: steps of dolls set out in homes for the nine nights, with neighbours visiting to sing.
North India
Fasts for the nine days, Ram Lila plays, and kanya puja, when young girls are honoured as the Goddess on Ashtami or Navami.
Himachal Pradesh
Kullu Dussehra, when the village deities are carried in procession to meet Raghunath in the valley.
Her temples
- Vaishno Devi TempleKatra, Jammu and Kashmir
- Kamakhya TempleGuwahati, Assam
- Chamundeshwari TempleMysuru, Karnataka
- Kanaka Durga TempleVijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
- Durga Kund TempleVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh
- Ambaji TempleBanaskantha, Gujarat
Questions
When is Navratri in 2027?
Navratri is on Thursday 30 September 2027 in New Delhi, with the muhurat 8:06 am to 10:12 am. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Which day is Durga’s?
Tuesday in many homes, and Friday in some; above all the nine nights of Navratri, twice a year, in spring and in autumn.
What is Durga’s mantra?
Om Dum Durgayai Namah, with her seed sound “Dum”. The Devi Mahatmya’s verse “Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu” is chanted through Navratri.
What are the nine forms of Durga?
Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri, one for each night of Navratri.
Why does Durga ride a lion?
The lion, a gift of the mountain king Himavat, is courage and power under control; in some regions she rides a tiger.
Are Durga and Parvati the same?
Yes: Durga is the Goddess as the warrior, Parvati the same Goddess as Shiva’s wife, and the Navadurga are her forms from girlhood to the giver of all powers.